Editing Triathlon (section)

==Organisations==
The International Triathlon Union (now known as [[World Triathlon]]) was founded in 1989 as the international governing body of the sport, with the chief goal, at that time, of putting triathlon on the Olympic program.<ref name="CBS Olympics2">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbssports.com/u/olympics/2000/history/triathlon.htm|title=Olympic History: Triathlon|access-date=4 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310182537/http://www.cbssports.com/u/olympics/2000/history/triathlon.htm|archive-date=10 March 2012|work=CBS Sports}}</ref> The World Triathlon sanctions and organises the [[World Triathlon Series]] and the [[World Triathlon Cup]] races each year, with annual world champions crowned each year for elite professional triathletes, junior pro triathletes, and age-group athletes. World Triathlon races are conducted in a [[Drafting (aerodynamics)|draft]] legal format for the bike leg, whereas drafting is not permitted at the amateur level. In addition, the ITU has a Long-Distance Triathlon series.

The [[World Triathlon Corporation]] (WTC) is a private company that sanctions and organises the [[Ironman triathlon|Ironman]] and [[Ironman 70.3]] races each year. These races serve as qualifying events for their own annual world championships. The Ironman World Championship is held annually in [[Kailua-Kona, Hawaii]], in October, while the Ironman 70.3 World Championship is held in September and changes location each year. The "Ironman" and "Iron" brands are property of the WTC. Therefore, long-distance multisport events organized by groups other than the WTC may not officially be called "Ironman" or "Iron" races.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/58837|title=Iron Man calls this fight a draw|last=Williams|first=Pete|date=8 April 2008|access-date=24 June 2010|publisher=Street & Smith's Sports Group}}</ref> For its part, the ITU does not sanction WTC races;<ref name="ITU Vote2">{{cite web|url=http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/congress_votes_to_no_longer_sanction_ironman/|title=Congress votes to no longer sanction Ironman|date=14 September 2005|publisher=International Triathlon Union|access-date=4 October 2010}}</ref> however, [[USA Triathlon]] (USAT) uses a combination of World Triathlon and WTC rules to sanction WTC's branded events.<ref name="USAT&WTC2">{{cite web|url=http://www.slowtwitch.com/headings/ironman.html|title=Ironman and USAT are again brothers in arms|date=27 March 2006|publisher=Slowtwitch.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718171602/http://www.slowtwitch.com/headings/ironman.html|archive-date=18 July 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=4 October 2010}}</ref>

Many other organisations exist beginning with local clubs that may host a single small race once per year to companies like the Challenge Family brand that produces long-distance events around the world, which includes events like [[Challenge Roth]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.challenge-family.com/about-challenge-family/|title=About Challenge Family|publisher=TEAMChallenge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106211906/http://www.challenge-family.com/about-challenge-family/|archive-date=6 January 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=26 February 2014}}</ref> International Ultra-Triathlon Association (IUTA) is the official governing body of [[Ultratriathlon]], which involves triathlon in distances longer than an iron-distance race.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iutasport.com/|title=International Ultra-Triathlon Association|publisher=International Ultra Triathlon Association|access-date=28 September 2011}}</ref> Additionally, each nation, generally, has a sanctioning body for triathlon events in their respective country with regard to athletes competing and qualifying for Olympic competition.

The [[Professional Triathletes Organisation]] (PTO), an athlete-owned body that represents non-drafting professional triathletes, was launched in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levison |first=John |date=2020-01-21 |title=That Collins Cup money... where did it come from? |url=https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-news/industry/pto-funding-crankstart-michael-moritz |access-date=2022-09-06 |website=TRI247 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The organisation focuses on promoting the athletes and their performances with high-quality international broadcasts. In 2022 The PTO launched the PTO Tour, the first series of pro-triathlon 'majors' each with a prize purse of $1M including the PTO Canadian Open, Collins Cup and PTO US Open. A unique aspect of the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) is that it is an athlete-owned entity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meyer |first=Maredithe |date=Jan 27, 2023 |title=Professional Triathletes Organization to host 2023 US Open in Milwaukee this summer |url=https://biztimes.com/professional-triathletes-organisation-to-host-2023-us-open-in-milwaukee-this-summer/ |website=BizTimes Milwaukee Business News}}</ref>
[[File:Triathlon_pictogram.svg|thumb|The symbol for triathlon in the Olympics]]

=== Conflict ===
Two major rule making bodies, the ITU and WTC, had an overlap of rules and authority, an issue which began to create conflict in the 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.runningnetworkarchives.com/runnertriathletenews/news/413.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020722083118/http://www.runningnetworkarchives.com/runnertriathletenews/news/413.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 July 2002|title=Ironman Triathlon to take ITU to court to retain name|website=runningnetworkarchives.com|access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref> This culminated in 2005 when the ITU and USAT asked all national triathlon federations to refuse to continue sanctioning any WTC events.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/usat_breaks_with_ironman_races|title=USAT Breaks with Ironman Races|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|date=13 June 2005|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> The reasons for this stemmed from WTC not recognising the ITU as the sport's governing body as WTC was attempting to set up their own federation. Furthermore, ITU and USAT argued against supporting WTC because they were a profit driven organisation, that it was directly conflicting with ITU titles, such as the long and standard distance world championship, and that the WTC was not following [[World Anti-Doping Agency]] (WADA) rules. If ITU member nations did not comply with International Olympic Committee (IOC) Charter rules they risked being excluded from the Olympic program.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/congress_votes_to_no_longer_sanction_ironman|title=Congress votes to no longer sanction Ironman|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|date=14 September 2005|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref> However, in 2006, the ITU backed down on its stance allowing national federations to once again sanction WTC events. This was due to an out-of-court settlement days before a lawsuit was to be argued at the [[Court of Arbitration for Sport]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_and_wtc_agree_to_settle_out_of_court|title=ITU and WTC Agree to Settle Out of Court|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|date=5 May 2006|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> This settlement had a large effect on WTC races, including WADA membership for the WTC and out-of-competition testing for elite athletes.

Since 2008, coinciding with leadership changes at both the ITU and WTC, the two organisations have been steadily working together. Efforts in 2012<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2012/01/itu-and-wtc-look-to-work-together.aspx|title=ITU and WTC Look to Work Together|website=IRONMAN.com|language=en-US|access-date=11 February 2019|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065834/http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2012/01/itu-and-wtc-look-to-work-together.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 2014<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_ironman_hold_historic_meeting|title=ITU & IRONMAN hold historic meeting|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|date=23 June 2014|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> resulted in the announcement that Ironman would standardise the rule set for its 2015 races and would start the unification toward ITU rules on long-distance racing with specific interest on the drafting and penalty rules.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://triathlonmagazine.ca/news/ironman-itu-confirm-global-standarization/|title=Ironman and ITU confirm global {{as written|standar|ization [sic]}} |date=13 February 2015|website=Triathlon Magazine Canada|language=en-CA|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.endurancebusiness.com/2015/industry-news/aligning-with-itu-global-standardization-of-ironman-competition-rules/|title=Aligning with ITU: global standardization of IRONMAN competition rules|last=Gary|date=13 February 2015|website=endurancebusiness.com|language=en-GB|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref>

In 2017, the ITU and WTC signed a memorandum of understanding in which the two organisations stated they will:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2017/01/ironman-partners-with-itu.aspx|title=IRONMAN Partners with the International Triathlon Union|website=IRONMAN.com|language=en-US|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=3 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703092745/http://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2017/01/ironman-partners-with-itu.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* Harmonise anti-doping efforts
* Fully establish the ITU as the singular international federation for triathlon
* Develop a unified athlete focused rule set for specific distance categories
* Align efforts to foster the growth and development of the sport